The American Celebration of Christmas During World War II
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Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 7-23-2018 1:30 PM Tanks and Tinsel: The American Celebration of Christmas during World War II Samantha Desroches The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Vance, Jonathan The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in History A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Samantha Desroches 2018 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Cultural History Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Desroches, Samantha, "Tanks and Tinsel: The American Celebration of Christmas during World War II" (2018). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 5537. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/5537 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract “Tanks and Tinsel: The American Celebration of Christmas during World War II” is an examination of the American celebration of Christmas during World War II. As the first comprehensive investigation into the most well-known holiday in Western culture and its role in shaping Americans’ experience and understanding of the war, it contributes to historical scholarship in three ways. First, it continues the trend of blending analyses of society into military-focused narratives of the war, and it expands the scope of this by fusing the literature of War and Society with that of Holiday History. Second, it challenges traditional views of the home front by highlighting that Christmas helped to solidify the importance of consumption in the American psyche. Third, it offers an argument as to how American identity and patriotism were tied to these consumerist values and shows how American business leaders and the government used the traditions and rituals associated with Christmas to articulate what servicemen and citizens ought to be fighting for. The celebration of Christmas provided reminders of, and hopes for, times of stability and prosperity in the United States. The holiday’s cultural capital was harnessed to encourage wartime consent, privilege particular values, and structure how individuals and communities, both foreign and domestic, would view America and the war. Keywords World War II, America, Home Front, Christmas, Culture, Consumerism, Advertising, Tradition, Identity, Government Policy, Rationing, Women and Children, Community, American Military. i Acknowledgments It takes a truly supportive community to be able to research and write a project of this magnitude. The History Department at Western University has been amazing in this regard. I would like to especially thank my supervisor, Jonathan Vance, as I could honestly not imagine a better advisor and your guidance and assurance kept me sane and motivated throughout this process. Your depth of knowledge on such a wide range of subjects has steered me in the right direction on numerous occasions and prevented me from going down a dead end on many others. Other faculty members who inspired, aided, and entertained me and this project in one way or another include most notably Aldona Sendzikas, Robert MacDougall, Nancy Rhoden, Laurel Shire, Francine McKenzie, and Rob Wardhaugh. I would also like to thank the external reviewer, Steve Penfold, and the university reviewer, Daniel Robinson, for their thoughtful critiques and suggestions. Additionally, the history department would not be as warm a place nor would it run as smoothly without Kara Brown; your efforts do not go unnoticed and you make this department a happier place – thank you! I also want to thank several of my fellow grad students: Alex Souchen, for showing me the ropes early on and always answering my less-than-intelligent questions; Cayley Bower for proving that completing in four years is, in fact, possible and that you can have several nights out along the way; Sara Poulin for the genuine encouragement and sage advice; and so many others, who distracted me when I needed distracting, whose great conversations reminded me why history is so important, and who motivated me to get back to my research/writing and ultimately finish this project. UWO’s history librarian, Liz Mantz, was always available to help me track down an elusive book or periodical and offered many useful suggestions for further research. Archivists at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, the New York Historical Society, and the National Archives and Records Administration at College Park, went above and beyond to locate collections and material that I otherwise would have overlooked. In the final stages of completing this project, Jasmine Shumaker, a librarian at the Enoch Pratt Public Library in Baltimore scanned several catalog pages and went on the hunt for several more, saving me a lot of time and effort in the process. I would also like to thank several of the institutions, organizations, and donors whose generous monetary support helped fund this project: the Ontario Government, the Faculty of Social ii Science, and donors to the History Department including Eleta Britton, Kenneth Hilborn, Ivie Cornish, Ley and Lois Smith, and Harris Steele. Outside of the academic realm, I need to especially thank my parents, Phil and Janet Desroches, who have always been sympathetic to my love of learning, encouraged me to go to graduate school, aided me financially and emotionally throughout the process, and were always there to give advice or just listen when I needed it most. My amazing boyfriend, Josh Mendelssohn, was also critical in that respect and has been nothing but uplifting throughout this endeavor. Thanks for all the last minute edits, never getting sick of me bouncing ideas off you, and remaining (or pretending, very successfully, to be) interested in my work. I also want to say thank you to all my friends in Toronto, who were an amazing support system from afar, offered me a distraction from the stresses of PhD life, and reminded me that there is a world outside of the ivory tower. I am very much looking forward to reuniting with you all once this is said and done. iii List of Abbreviations Archives: IWM – Imperial War Museum - London KEW – British National Archives LOC – Library of Congress NARA – National Archives and Records Administration NYHS – New York Historical Society NYCMA – New York Municipal Archives NYU – New York University SNMAH – Smithsonian National Museum of American History Newspapers and Magazines: AC – Atlanta Constitution AG – American Girl BG – Boston Globe BL – Boys’ Life CD – Chicago Defender CDT – Chicago Daily Tribune CSM – Christian Science Monitor HC – Hartford Courant LAT – Los Angeles Times LHJ – Ladies’ Home Journal MFP – Manzanar Free Press NYT – New York Times PI – Printers’ Ink RB - Redbook SandS – Stars and Stripes SEP – Saturday Evening Post WHC – Women’s Home Companion WSJ – Wall Street Journal WP – Washington Post Other: EFM – Expeditionary Force Message ODT – Office of Defense Transportation OPA – Office of Price Administration OPM – Office of Production Management OWI – Office of War Information UNRRA – United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration WPB – War Production Board iv Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ i Keywords ............................................................................................................................. i Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... ii List of Abbreviations ......................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ v Introduction ...................................................................................................................... ix Coming Home to Christmas .......................................................................................... ix Literature Review .......................................................................................................... xi Christmas .............................................................................................................. xii War and Society .................................................................................................. xvii Advertising and Identity ....................................................................................... xx Problems with Existing Literature ...................................................................... xxv Sources ............................................................................................................... xxix Outline ........................................................................................................................ xxx Chapter Structure ................................................................................................ xxx Parameters ........................................................................................................ xxxiii Chapter 1: Controlling Christmas .................................................................................